Florida leads push for permanent daylight saving time
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The Sunshine State is at the center of an effort to make daylight saving time permanent.
Why it matters: Permanent daylight saving time would affect far more than clocks, possibly impacting sleep, commuting, school schedules and religious observance.
Driving the news: U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) introduced the Sunshine Protection Act — his latest effort in a yearslong push to make daylight saving time permanent — and the bill sailed through the U.S. House.
- All eyes are now on the U.S. Senate, where Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has introduced a companion bill with 18 bipartisan cosponsors.
- But whether it becomes law is anyone's guess. Similar legislation has stalled in Congress before, failing to pass in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
The big picture: Most Americans want to end the biannual clock change.
- In 2018, Florida became the first state to adopt permanent daylight saving time. More than a dozen states have followed. None of these state laws can take effect, however, until Congress acts.
- Proponents argue the change would provide more light during the workday, lead to more time spent outside, and boost the economy.
Reality check: Making this shift could have massive consequences for Americans.
- "A permanent move to DST would likely increase the population's risk for chronic diseases for years to come," Adrian Pristas, director of sleep medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health, told Axios in an email Wednesday.
- That's because sunlight is key to health and sleep. Permanent daylight saving time would mean darker mornings and delayed sunsets.
- The change could also affect observant Jews and Muslims, whose prayers and religious observances are tied to sunrise and sunset.
Flashback: Congress succeeded in making daylight saving time permanent in 1974, but lawmakers voted to undo it less than a year later after a string of traffic fatalities — including eight children in Florida.
- Research shows that darker mornings are associated with increased traffic accidents and crash risk.
- Studies show a 6% increase in traffic fatalities immediately following the spring shift to daylight saving time.
Go deeper: The hidden consequences of permanent daylight saving time